In 1976, Beechie Brooks brought an ambitious vision for the Near North Side to life. The Milwaukee real estate agent and developer wanted to transform a stretch of dilapidated houses into a vibrant subdivision for middle class Black residents.
That vision became a reality in 1976 – despite skepticism and adversity along way – with the creation of Halyard Park, a game-changing development spanning four city blocks and featuring 44 attractive and affordable ranch-style homes with spacious yards in the Bronzeville area, immediately north of Downtown, at an initial cost of $45,000 to $70,000 for homebuyers.
Today, fifty years after the project was completed, a life-size bronze statue of Brooks in Hayward Park commemorates his work. The statue, designed to preserve the history of the development, was unveiled on Sept. 19. A joyous crowd of more than 100 people, including Halyard Park residents, Brooks’ family and friends and several city officials, gathered on a cloudy morning to celebrate the unveiling.
Brooks’ daughter, Cassandra Brooks, and the Halyard Park Neighborhood Association Foundation spearheaded the effort to raise $125,000 to install the statue of Brooks, who died in 2017 at the age of 92.
“It’s very important because it represents the history of Halyard Park and the legacy that my dad left behind,” Cassandra Brooks said. “I would like to the community know to know who put this project together and put a face to this project.”
The bronze sculpture is situated on Gaines Triangle, at North Sixth and North Halyard streets. It’s adjacent to the stone fountain that marks Halyard Park, the boundaries for which are North Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Walnut Street and North Sixth Street.
Multimedia artist Tom Holleran designed and sculpted the statue, which was cast in bronze at Vanguard Sculpture Services in Milwaukee, the studio that cast the Bronze Fonz, among others.
“I was totally dedicated to giving Cassandra exactly what she wanted.” said Holleran, whose other life-size works include a bronze statue of legendary South Milwaukee wrestler Reginald Lisowski, better known as The Crusher.
The development is named in honor of Ardie Clark Halyard and Wilbur Halyard, noted fair housing advocates and founders of Columbia Savings & Loan Association, which financed the first homes in Halyard Park.
“This is a special moment. This neighborhood is obviously very important,” Milwaukee Commissioner of City Development Lafayette Crump told Milwaukee Magazine. “It’s phenomenal seeing all the history here and the families that have been here for years and recognizing the vision of someone who said, ‘I know this is going to be hard, but I can get it done.’ He’s an inspiration to everybody who’s doing development. Black developers, especially.”
The statue will serve as a reminder of what people can accomplish in adverse situations, Crump added.
“It’s inspiring to me as someone who has to go out there and try to do hard things every single day,” he said. “Folks like Beechie need to be recognized for the heroes and the innovators that they were. It’s really meaningful for people to walk through this community and see someone who looks a lot like them and say, ‘You know, I can do this, too.’”
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson described Halyard Park as an “oasis.”
“It’s important to recognize Beechie Brooks and everything that he has meant for Halyard Park, and really for Milwaukee and for African Americans who were trying to establish a foothold of home ownership in the city at a time when it was very difficult to do so,” Johnson said in an interview with Milwaukee Magazine. “This neighborhood is a bastion of home ownership for African Americans, and that would not have happened if it were not for that man who we have now built a statue of. And folks are still reaping the benefits of that all these decades later.”
The statue, in a prominent spot in the neighborhood, will offer those who visit the site an opportunity to understand just how impactful Brooks’ vision has been.
“Beechie Brooks was a visionary. To see his likeness here, representing this neighborhood, it will be a beacon, and I hope also a catalyst for others who want to be inspired and determined to do some of the work that he did here in other communities in Milwaukee,” Halyard Park Neighbor Association President Markasa Tucker-Harris said, describing the neighborhood as a place “deep roots and a legacy of persistence.”
